ESSEC appointments: BPCE, Microsoft, Renault, Suez, Opera…

Management positions with major international groups, iconic brands or renowned cultural institutions; we look at some of the recent appointments within the ESSEC network.

Nicolas Namias (E02) takes the helm at Groupe BPCE, France’s second-largest bank group. Also a graduate of ENA, Sciences Po Paris and Stanford, he began his career in management with the Treasury of the Ministry for the Economy and Finance. His initial role was to prepare the G8 and G20 international financial summits, followed by an appointment to the position of substitute government commissioner with the French financial markets regulator, the AMF. He then joined the Financial Department of Groupe BPCE and went on to become Director of Planning for Commercial Banking and Insurance. He was next appointed technical advisor to French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault for the financing of the economy, businesses and international economic affairs. He then moved to Natixis, where he rose to the position of Managing Director.

Matthieu Destot (M98) has been appointed CEO of Ingenico Group, a world leader in the payment terminal market. Based in Singapore, he has held various management positions in the last 15 years, in particular Chief Operating Officer of Alcatel-Lucent and Executive Vice President TSS Global Business Line of Wordline Global 

Olivier Germain (E94) has been appointed CEO of the fashion house Claudie Pierlot. He has been working in the fashion sector for almost 20 years, beginning as a store manager for Louis Vuitton, before holding various marketing and merchandising positions with Givenchy, Hermès, Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior. He then founded Dovima Paris, a shirt and tunic brand. He moved to London to take over the international management of merchandising for ready-to-wear and men’s & women’s accessories, prior to his appointment as Chief Product Officer for Alexander McQueen. After three years, he returned to Paris to become Chief Product & Merchandising Officer at Balmain, then headed to Milan to join New Guards Group as Chief Merchandising Officer. At the same time, he opened his own smoothie bar, Aura Wellness, in Paris.    

Béatrice de Clermont Tonnerre (E96) and Marie-Noëlle Muller-Pernodet (M93) have joined the executive board of Microsoft France. Béatrice de Clermont Tonnerre has been appointed Director of the Public Sector entity. She has held various management positions in the last 15 years, in particular with Lagardère as Senior VP Business Development, and with Google as Southern Europe Monetisation Director and Director of AI Partnerships. Marie-Noëlle Muller-Pernodet has been appointed Director of the Small Offices and Small and Medium-sized Businesses entity. She spent 30 years at IBM, where her roles included Vice President Sales France and Vice President Technology Group. They will be working alongside  Côme Perpère (M06), Chief Sustainability Officer.

Karim Mikkiche (EXEC MBA 01) has been appointed Group Vice President Turnaround at Renault. Also a graduate of Harvard and the London Business School, he began his career in computer auditing before joining the car manufacturer, where he has worked for 30 years. Key roles include positions in India and Japan, in addition to Vice President Tests Engineering & Technologies at Renault, Chief Transformation & Performance Officer for Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, and Global VP R&D Performance & Strategy of Renault Group, in charge of a €1-billion cost optimisation plan.  

Vincent Menuet (E03) has been appointed Senior Vice President and Head of Public Affairs & Security at Suez. Also a graduate of ENA, he alternated between financial auditing and various positions in the private sector, including Vice-President of Contracts, Marketing and Customer Service at Airbus and VP of Sales and Programmes at Faurecia, before becoming Secretary General for the €100-billion recovery plan.

Aziz Ridouan (EXEC M19) has been appointed Director of Corporate Communication and Media Relations at Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale. He began his career in the public sector, within Ségolène Royal’s campaign office for the 2007 French presidential elections, and then managed global media and internet for the Secretary General of the French National Assembly. He was next appointed to the position of Communication and Press Advisor to the then Minister of SME, Innovation and the Digital Economy, Fleur Pellerin (E94), followed by the role of Digital Communication Manager at Matignon, under Manuel Valls. He then joined Crédit Mutuelle as advisor to the CEO and Managing Director. 

Philippe Schwerer (E00) has been appointed Director of Industrial Partnerships & New Business at the Canal+ Group. He began his career in auditing with Lafont in Paris and New York, prior to an advisory position with Capital One in Australia. He returned to France to pursue his career in consultancy with Bossard (now part of Cap Gemini) and Mandragore. He then moved to the media sector, joining Studiocanal, where he rose to the position of Executive Vice President Home Entertainment & New Media. He subsequently became Vice President of the VOD Commission of the French National Centre for Film & Animation (CNC). He also teaches marketing at CentraleSupélec.

Jérémy Borot (E05) has been appointed Chief Transformation Officer at Mango Pay, a payment technology publisher which manages over €16 billion in transactions, operates more than 2,500 customer platforms and employs 170 people in 6 European countries. He began his career with McKinsey, rising up the ranks over 12 years with positions in Paris, New York and Mexico. He then joined Natixis, as head of Growth Acceleration, Pricing and Sales Performance and later head of Performance and Customer Experience, prior to joining the executive board of Cdiscount as Head of Strategy, BtoB Development, Data and Innovation. 

Tristan Mathieu (E91) has been appointed to the position of Director of CSR, Public Affairs and Sustainable Development at Veolia. He has specialised in this sector for more than 20 years, in particular as General Delegate of the Professional Federation of French Water Companies, Director of Contractual Relations with Veolia Water, General Delegate of the French Water Distributors’ Union and President of the Water Information Centre (CIEAU). He also sits on the administrative board of AquaFed and is a committee member of the French Water Partnership (Partenariat Français pour l’Eau). 

Arnaud Leroux (E98) has been appointed Director of Marketing & Communication at Décathlon. He began his career with Nestlé as brand manager, then moved to Coca-Cola in 2007, where he held various managerial roles, prior to becoming Marketing and Sales Director for Euro 2016, for which the brand is the main partner. He continued to work in the sports business, as Marketing Director Southern Europe at Asics.

Sylvain Andries (E02) has been appointed Chief Financial Officer at Sézane. He began his career with Procter & Gamble before joining The Boston Consulting Group. He then held successive roles as financial director for three high-growth companies, Caudalie, Criteo and Vestiaire Collective. 

Antonina Boucherie (BBA 12 & M13) has been appointed Director of E-Commerce & CRM at Lancôme. She began her career in supply chain with Louis Vuitton, then Henkel, prior to taking up management positions in marketing and digital communication at Hermès. 

Nicolas Morineaux (E99) has been appointed to the position of Commercial Director at Van Cleef & Arpels in China. He began his career with Pernod Ricard and Esso, before moving to Asia and the luxury sector, initially with marketing roles for Céline in Japan. He then rose to the position of Vice President Finance & Operations Fashion Group Asia Pacific at LVMH.

Nicolas Droin (E93) has been appointed Administrator and Deputy Director of the Opéra Comique. He has already held numerous general administrative roles, notably with the Chapelle Royale / Champs-Elysées Orchestra, Louvre-Grenoble Musicians and the Accentus Choir. He has been Managing Director of the Paris Chamber Orchestra for 10 years.

Fanny Fournier (E07) has been appointed Patronage & Engagement Director with the Bordeaux Opera House. Also a graduate of Sciences Po Paris and the École du Louvre, she began her career in marketing with Danone, Quiksilver and Bolloré. She then moved to the cultural sector and a project management position with Nova Consulting, founded by Julien Bernard (E97), where she worked notably with the Château de Chambord, Lyon Opera House and the Mona Bismarck Foundation. She was subsequently offered the role of corporate patronage management at the Paris National Opera.
 See also her interview (in French) on our website

Pierre-Emmanuel Saint-Esprit (E16) has been elected to the administrative board of the French National Institute for Circular Economy (INEC). He will work alongside the Managing Director  Emmanuelle Ledoux (M93), and boasts solid experience in this sector. He is currently Circular Economy Director with the Manutan Group, the leader in B2B distribution, which he joined recently with his electronic waste recycling start-up, Zack. He also founded the Global Circular Economy Chair at ESSEC.

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